To Sarah, my beautiful best friend who shares my love for performing arts,
I recently saw a play for my Theatre class that had been put out by for a TV program, and I think you might appreciate it. It dealt with racial unrest in Crown Heights, NY which ultimately lead to two deaths and a lot of rioting. The thing that made the play really cool was the fact that it was all performed by one actress. She herself had interviewed all these people from the town and had compiled a play based on what she learned. Her acting was amazing! With the help of some wigs and costume changes, she could completely transform herself into any of the characters and relay their impassioned speeches to her audience. You kinda had to get past the simplistic sets before you could truly appreciate the show, but once you settled into a grove of watching the characters, their messages really began to sink in.
This play got me thinking about what I would have shared had I been interviewed for this project or a similar one - I mean, it's kinda scary knowing that whatever you tell someone might be put on TV... I think though, I would have focussed on the lasting devastation riots like this can have in a community. I think it's important to remember that people's differences can be beautiful. If we all acted the same way and believed the same things, where would uniqueness come from, where would progress come from? I believe that it is our differences which propel a society forward and make us appreciate each other. Crown Heights, for example, will always carry this burden with them. Everyone will remember "that time when a black kid and a Jew were killed." Even if people put it behind them and forget the specifics of the event, there will be a lingering sense of uneasiness around individuals of differing races. I would tell Anna Smith that I pray for peace in these communities, that I hope residents can value each other as people and as neighbors. Our differences can only be beautiful when we take the time to study why they are there in the first place.
Well, I have a dance class to get ready for. See you soon this summer!!
Love, Eva
I recently saw a play for my Theatre class that had been put out by for a TV program, and I think you might appreciate it. It dealt with racial unrest in Crown Heights, NY which ultimately lead to two deaths and a lot of rioting. The thing that made the play really cool was the fact that it was all performed by one actress. She herself had interviewed all these people from the town and had compiled a play based on what she learned. Her acting was amazing! With the help of some wigs and costume changes, she could completely transform herself into any of the characters and relay their impassioned speeches to her audience. You kinda had to get past the simplistic sets before you could truly appreciate the show, but once you settled into a grove of watching the characters, their messages really began to sink in.
This play got me thinking about what I would have shared had I been interviewed for this project or a similar one - I mean, it's kinda scary knowing that whatever you tell someone might be put on TV... I think though, I would have focussed on the lasting devastation riots like this can have in a community. I think it's important to remember that people's differences can be beautiful. If we all acted the same way and believed the same things, where would uniqueness come from, where would progress come from? I believe that it is our differences which propel a society forward and make us appreciate each other. Crown Heights, for example, will always carry this burden with them. Everyone will remember "that time when a black kid and a Jew were killed." Even if people put it behind them and forget the specifics of the event, there will be a lingering sense of uneasiness around individuals of differing races. I would tell Anna Smith that I pray for peace in these communities, that I hope residents can value each other as people and as neighbors. Our differences can only be beautiful when we take the time to study why they are there in the first place.
Well, I have a dance class to get ready for. See you soon this summer!!
Love, Eva